Press agents, public relations counselors/directors, and staff publicists.
Getting the word out about an artist; looking for press opportunities.
The Publicity and Press department of a record label (also known as PR) is in charge of getting the public to talk about a new or established artist.
They work with the media, looking for press opportunities for an album release or tour information.
They look for interviews, feature stories, and they are responsible for getting the artist opportunities to be a guest or appear on television or radio shows.
Publicists are also known as press agents, public relations counselors/directors, staff publicists, etc. Other roles include assistant/junior publicist and tour publicist.
!! LABEL VS RECORD COMPANY !!
They work outside of the label, working closely with the artist. They take care of the overall image of an artist, and the label publicist focuses on creating demand for the records and tours.
They perform administrative tasks and get the word out about an artist in the media. They work closely with the personal publicist.
Their role is overseeing all department processes and matching staff publicists with artists.
They make sure the record has been distributed to DSPs around the world; Spotify, Apple Music but also Gaana and Jioaavn (India), KuGou and QQ (China), etc.
*sometimes the part of the international sales is centralized for all labels under one group* For example, Sony's Global Digital Business & US Sales record division deals with international sales for all Sony Labels (RCA, Arista, Columbia, etc.)
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“It’s definitely a lifestyle & not just a career“
Day to day changes every day! However, the most consistent D2D tasks include sending out press breaks for each of the artists I’m assigned to, scheduling artist interviews, sitting in meetings, writing press releases, and sending out pitches! It sounds simple in theory, but along with the miscellaneous requests that come in throughout the day, things can get crazy quickly.
Publicity Coordinator @ Warner Music Group
Who they work with and what they do
Promotion
- Promoting clients’ work to broadcast media for airtime on radio and TV shows
Marketing
- Design campaigns for new releases
- Create talking points and material for press releases
Publicity
- Organizing publicity events such as interviews and appearances
- Write press releases
- Create pitches
- Track media coverage
Press & Media
- Maintaining a network of music industry contacts, journalists, and editors of music magazines
- Creating a connection between labels and media
- Creating and sending out press releases and promotional items
Artist Manager
- Have active communication to ensure the schedule for the artist.
- Promoting clients’ work to broadcast media for airtime on radio and TV shows
- Have active communication to ensure the schedule for the artist.
Marketing
- Design campaigns for new releases
- Create talking points and material for press releases
Publicity
- Organizing publicity events such as interviews and appearances
- Write press releases
- Create pitches
- Track media coverage
Press & Media
- Maintaining a network of music industry contacts, journalists, and editors of music magazines
- Creating a connection between labels and media
- Creating and sending out press releases and promotional items
- Distribute artists singles & albums to DSPs on time for the release
- Negotiate business partnerships with DSPs -- Examples:
° Reduced royalties rate per stream for artists of a specific label in exchange for free ad credits
° ‘Artist Social Boost’: DSPs are granted advertising access to an artist's Facebook or Instagram to run
ads offering their followers 3 months free premium. In exchange, the label gets a portion of the profit from the fans signing up through the artist's link
- Partner with DSPs for marketing initiatives such as:
° Billboard in Time Square
° Playlist takeovers
° Example: Olivia Rodrigo's Car Wash with Spotify in LA.
- Licence songs before release
- Make sure the metadata is complete (every detail about the song is filled out - producers, singer, date, title, etc.)
- Curate playlists on streaming platforms to promote their artists
- Establish the number of copies of an album that needs to be produced
- Make sure the production and delivery runs smoothly (with Production Dep)
A music supervisor reaches out to the label with interest in a song. They provide 3 elements for a possible contract and give a scene description and information on the use of the song.
With those elements in mind, the Sync Department defines the licensing fees for the use of that song. The amount usually depends mostly on the artist, scene description and length, and part of the song used.
The label asks for the artist's approval; both on the budget and the use of the song (which project it will be featured on).
Important to know: For a song to be used, it needs the approval of both the master recording (label) and the publisher. This means all songwriters have to approve the use of the song too! And if an artist is also a songwriter they need to approve it twice, once through the label and once through the publisher.
Lead time
Time spent pitching before the music release or feature.
Once negotiated, the deal has to be sent to the publishers for approval.
This step is necessary legally to ensure that the Most Favored Nation (MFN) clause is respected.
If a music supervisor confirms the use of a song then the license is created.
On their side, they will have to pay a fee for the use of the composition (copyright to the publisher) and a fee for the master (to the label).
“For NY and LA, there is always a member of our team at shows to organize business encounters, escort our partners backstage. It’s kind of a concierge service”
- Tour and Special Events @Interscope
"When there is no covid I travel a lot so I am divided between being with the artist on tours and promotion - with visits to my offices for strategy and planning meetings around the world and in London with my team on a day-to-day basis when we are not traveling. My boss travels much more than I do so we are used to working remotely and maintaining constant communication."
Is a degree required?
The recommended majors for publicity are public relations, marketing, advertising, journalism, and communications.
Many public relations companies/firms offer development programs/internships for students and recent graduates. This may lead to work in publicity and press at record labels, PR firms, entertainment companies, etc.
One could gain experience on their own by contacting local bands and offering to write their media releases to build a portfolio, make connections, and break into further opportunities.
Those aspiring to become a Director of Publicity traditionally follow the career path below and sometimes pursue opening their own PR firm.
Junior Publicist Assistant Director
Assistant Publicist → Publicist → Director of Publicity
PR Intern
Written by Ixe
Published August 13th 2021
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